Keeping it all natural : a research into the underlying factors influencing the intention to purchase and the intention to continue purchasing organic cosmetics among German consumers

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Keeping it all natural –

A research into the underlying factors influencing the intention to purchase and the intention to continue purchasing organic cosmetics among German consumers

Master Thesis Inga Adels

s1351591

Master of Science April 2018

Examination Committee Dr. A. Beldad

Drs. MH. Tempelman University of Twente

Faculty of Behavioural, Management & Social Sciences Master Communication Studies- Marketing Communication

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Abstract

In previous studies, organic cosmetics seemed to be an overlooked category in the field of organic consumption. Since they offer some serious benefits for both one’s own health and the environment additional research is needed. To close this research gap, research on factors influencing the intention to purchase organic cosmetic and the intention to continue purchasing organic cosmetics was done. The research model was based upon the social identity theory and the theory of planned behaviour. It suggested that intention to purchase or to continue purchasing is influenced by consumers health- and environmental related self-identity as well the variables of the theory of planned behaviour. Additionally, it was proposed that subjective knowledge towards organic cosmetics as well as attitude towards brand communication positively influence consumer’s attitude towards organic cosmetic consumption.

To test these hypotheses, participants were approached using an online questionnaire.

In total, data from n= 256 people was used for further analysis, which were divided into organic cosmetic purchaser (n=120) and non-purchaser (n=136). Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that attitude towards organic cosmetics and perceived behavioural control positively influence the intention to continue purchasing organic cosmetics. For the non-purchaser, environmental self-identity, attitude towards organic cosmetics and subjective norm were significant predictors.

Attitude towards brand communication had no influence on attitude towards organic cosmetics for both purchaser groups. In contrast, subjective knowledge was significantly and positively related with attitude towards organic cosmetics for both purchaser groups.

The results of the research study at hand provide some new interesting insights that can help marketers to establish new, effective marketing strategies to target new consumers and to keep current customers. Especially the distinction between current purchasers and non-purchasers is new in the field of organic cosmetic consumption and indicates that indeed, both groups should be approached with different marketing strategies.

Keywords: green consumerism; organic cosmetics; purchase intention; social identity

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1. Introduction

Sustainable consumption increasingly gained popularity among consumers in the 21^st century. Consumers got concerned about issues like global warming, pollution and animal abuse, which caused them to consume environmental friendly products (Chen, Lin, & Chang, 2014). Therefore, this rise in green consumerism is no longer a surprising shift in today’s society. Next to the spectacular trend of organic food, which quickly developed from a niche market to a mainstream segment in the food sector, the demand for organic non-food products is increasing as well (Annis, 2011;

Cervellon, Rinaldi, & Wernerfelt, 2011). Nowadays, consumers do not only want to eat green, but also drive green cars, use green electricity, wear green clothes, use green detergents and turn to green cosmetics (Marangon, Temptesta, Troiango, &

Vecchiato, 2015; Cervellon & Carey, 2011). This highlights the rise of ethical consumerism in all kinds of markets, showing a general ethical sensitivity in purchase decisions among consumers (Maggioni, Montagnini, & Sebastiani, 2013). Consumers turn towards natural and organic products because they believe it is better for their own health and beneficial for the environment, showing an increased pattern of responsible consumption (Maragon et al., 2015).

An interesting field on the rise within green consumers is the organic cosmetic market. Today, the organic cosmetic market is the second largest organic industry after organic foods in several countries such as the United States, which are also leading the global organic cosmetic market (Transparency market research, 2016).

Statistics show that the international growth rate for organic cosmetics is higher than the rate for conventional cosmetics, which is more or less oscillating (Fonseca-Santos, Corrêa, and Chorilli, 2015). According to Cervellon et al. (2011), the European market for organic cosmetics is continuously growing by approximately 20% per year.

In Germany, which is Europe’s leading organic cosmetic market, the organic and natural cosmetic market exceeded the billion mark with a turnover of 1.01 billion and a total growth of 10% for the first time in 2015. Therefore, organic and natural cosmetics hold 7.8% market share of the whole cosmetic market in Germany (Heinze, 2015).

Especially the trend in organic cosmetics seems to be pushed by the consumption of

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Gallucci, 2009). When consumers become more aware of what they are taking into their bodies by means of the increased consumption of organic food, they may also become more interested in what they are applying topically to their body such as organic cosmetics (Lee, 2007). Organic food is after all considered to be healthier and of better quality, which could be conferred to organic cosmetics as well (Cervellon et al., 2011). Kim and Chung (2011) also stated that similarities between the purchase of organic food and organic cosmetics exist, since both promote a healthy lifestyle.

However, buying organic food and organic cosmetics purchase refer to two distinct behavioural patterns (Kim & Chung, 2011). As mentioned above, organic food is something you take into your body whether organic cosmetics are applied topically and directly affect consumer’s appearance. By means, the motivation behind buying food and buying cosmetics may differ, which makes distinct research in both segments necessary.

However, even though consumer’s demand for ecological products in general is nowadays widely recognized by marketers and organizations, scientific research is limited and if available, mostly focused on the food sector (Cervellon et al., 2011;

Testa, Iraldo, Vaccari, & Ferrari, 2013). This lack of scientific research results in little evidence on consumers underlying motivations to buy organic cosmetic and what factors might be crucial for consumers to actually choose organic cosmetic over conventional cosmetic. Organic cosmetic can offer some serious benefits compared to conventional cosmetics, which makes research in this sector as important as research on the food sector.

For example, research showed that several ingredients found in conventional cosmetics disrupt the hormonal system and increase the risk of cancer (Annis, 2011;

Csorba & Boglea, 2011). Organic cosmetics alternatives are proven to have better safety measures than conventional cosmetics, meaning that they often produced with fewer synthetic or genetically modified ingredients (Annis, 2011; Kim & Chung, 2011). Meaning that organic cosmetics lower the risk to be exposed to harmful ingredients (Annis, 2011). For example, chemicals and synthetics in conventional cosmetic products that are put on the skin can trigger the asphyxiation of the skin, and can accelerate dehydration and photosensitivity (Brown, 2016). This means that conventional cosmetic products can cut of the oxygen exchange to the skin, cause

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premature skin aging, and increase the risk of sunspots. To sum-up, synthetic chemicals in skincare can trigger the skin or exacerbate sensitivity (Stacy, 2014). With these means, the problems that consumers initially want to counteract like wrinkles by buying anti-wrinkle cream can actually get worse while using those products (Brown, 2016).

In addition, organic cosmetics are less harmful for the environment as they do not contain chemicals like petroleum, aluminium or micro plastic. For instance, to extract petroleum and aluminium mining is needed which is done within the Amazon rainforest. Furthermore, ingredients such as micro plastic pollute our drinking water when we wash cosmetics off our body (Csorba & Boglea, 2011). To conclude, organic cosmetics have the same characteristics and functions as conventional cosmetics, however cause less damage to the environment and are friendlier to our body (Fonseca-Santos et al., 2015).

Interestingly, a lot of organic cosmetic brands are rather reluctant in communicating these health and environmental benefits. They mention that their products are free from PEG’s and Parabens for example, however, they do not specifically explain why PEG’s and Parabens are bad. Instead, many brands chose to communicate rather vague messages, that for instance their products do not lead to any negative side effects because of the use of all natural ingredients (cf. Lavera, 2017). The German organic cosmetics brand ‘Lovely Day Botanicals’ is one brand that specifically mentions on their website, that their products do not contain any ingredients that are found to be hormonally active or are suspected to be carcinogenic (Lovely Day Botanicals, n.a.). This is one example showing an attempt of organic cosmetic brands to directly communicate the changes that organic cosmetics can bring to the consumer.

Looking into the findings above, research into the field of factors influencing the purchase behaviour of organic cosmetic is relevant in order to find out more about consumers behavioural pattern, which then can help marketers to improve the right product segmentation and to target more consumers. Research cannot only help to increase sales, but also give information on how to interact with the consumer, to

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market share is increasing, the total market share of organic cosmetics is still quite small compared to conventional cosmetics (Maggioni et al., 2013). Besides, past research that actually focused on consumer behaviour in the organic cosmetics sector found contradictory results about what factors play a role in the decision making process of purchasing organic cosmetics: Tsakiridou, Tsakiridou, Mattes and Arvaniti (2010) highlighted that consumers become more and more conscious about environmental friendly production methods, which influences their purchase decision towards organic cosmetics. Kim and Chung (2011) support the influence of environmental consciousness. On the contrary, Cervellon and Carvey (2011) as well as Ong (2012) found out that the protection of the environment is not a motivation when buying organic cosmetics, but rather is a positive side effect. This highlights the fact that additional research is necessary in order to get a better understanding of the organic cosmetics consumer. In general, different studies found out that different factors might influence the purchase intention and the actual purchase behaviour of organic cosmetics such as the variables of the theory of planned behaviour (attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control), past behaviour, health- and environmental consciousness and product related knowledge (Kim & Chung, 20211;Cervellon et al., 2011; Kim & Seok, 2009; Gracia & de Magistris, 2007;

Recker & Saleem, 2014).

However, until now, no study combined all potential factors mentioned above in order to provide a complete picture of the ‘organic cosmetic consumer’. To do so, this study uses both the social identity theory and the theory of planned behaviour as a theoretical framework to examine the influence of health- and environmental self- identity, attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control as predictors of purchase intention. In addition, the study considers subjective knowledge and attitude towards brand communication as antecedents of consumers attitude towards organic cosmetics. Therefore, this study aims to find out what factors impede or enhance the consumers purchase intention of organic cosmetics in order to fill-in the existing literature gap, by answering the following research question:

What factors positively influence consumers intention to purchase or to continue purchasing organic cosmetics among German consumers?

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2. Theoretical framework

This chapter will provide the theoretical foundation for factors that are related to organic consumption. Therefore it intends to give insight into variables that might influence the intention to purchase organic cosmetics and the intention to continue purchasing organic cosmetics. The chapter will finish with a conceptual research model in order to provide an overview about how the different factors are expected to influence each other.

2.1 The current situation of organic cosmetics

The concept of cosmetic products that contain natural, plant-based ingredients is not new. Already in the mid-1970s, botanicals and fruit-based formulas were found out to be an effective alternative for conventional, chemical ingredients in cosmetic products (Dimitrova et al., 2009; Csorba & Boglea, 2011). However, the strong demand for those products is quite new, notably increasing since the last decade. This is due to the general rise in green consumerism, which led to a general change in the product range and marketing orientation of the cosmetic industry worldwide (Dimitrova et al., 2009;

Sahota, 2014).

Unfortunately, until now, the term ‘organic’ is not legally regulated among all product categories like organic food, organic clothes and organic cosmetic products. This means, firms are allowed to design and implement ecological claims and self- certification labels without having an independent third party ensuring that those standards are actually met (Hussain & Lim, 2000; D’Souza et al., 2006). This means that no legal binding standards exist for what the term ‘organic’ actually stands for.

Companies may choose to use those claims and labels with the hope to make a product more attractive than products containing no claim at all (Hoek et al., 2013).

Within the cosmetic industry, five European organic certifiers allied to counteract this to develop a European standard for organic cosmetics (The Soil Association, BDIH, Cosmebio, Ecocert & ICEA). Today, this is known as the COSMOS standard and can be found on a diverse range of cosmetic products (COSMOS-standard, 2013).

Manufacturer can apply for this standard; however, it is not yet obligatory to do so.

The COSMOS standard is divided into organic certification and natural certification.

In order to get a ‘natural’ certification, the product must not contain more than 5%

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certifications are that at least 95% of the physically processed agro-ingredients need to be organic as well as at least 20% of the total product (COSMOS-standard, 2013).

2.2. Purchase Intention

According to the TPB, behavioural intention refers to the desire of people to eventually perform a specific behaviour in the near future (Ajzen, 1985). In general, people are expected to actually carry out their intentions when a suitable opportunity arises (Ajzen, 2006). Therefore, a link between intention and behaviour is made. Past research showed that people are more likely to engage in a certain behaviour if they actually intend to perform it (Connor & Armitage, 1998). Beck and Ajzen (1991) also found out that the stronger an individuals intention to perform a given behaviour, the more successfully the behaviour is predicted (Beck & Ajzen, 1991). In this research, behavioural intention will be measured by looking at the intention to purchase and to continue purchasing organic cosmetics.

Hence, the present study uses the variable intention to purchase organic cosmetics/intention to continue purchasing organic cosmetics as dependent variable, which can be used to give an indication about the future purchase pattern among Germans.

2.3 Past behaviour

Actual purchase behaviour or consumers past experience with a product category influences the purchase intention of that category (Kim & Chung, 2011).

Therefore, measuring consumers past experience can help to get insights of consumers actual behaviour, because intentions to perform a behaviour do not necessary mean that consumers actually do perform that behaviour. In addition, D’Souza et al. (2006) found that past experience also influences consumers’ attitudes about products and more specific organic products. In general, the influence of past behaviour on current behaviour has received a lot attention in past research, showing that past behaviour is a significant predictor of future behaviour (Connor & Armitage, 1998). To the authors’ best knowledge, only one research yet focused on the differentiation of green purchaser and non-purchaser when looking for factors that influence the purchase intention in the sustainable consumption sector: Nam, Dong, &

Lee (2017) did research into consumers intention to purchase green sportswear and divided participants of the study based on their past green purchase behaviour. They

discovered interesting results that differ between the two purchaser groups.

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For example, perceived behavioural control only had significant influence on the purchaser group and not on the non-purchaser group.

The present study will adapt this approach and use past behaviour in order to divide the respondents into two categories: people who actively purchase organic cosmetics and people who do currently not purchase organic cosmetics. By doing so, a comparison can be made on factors influencing the intention to purchase and factors influencing the intention to continue purchasing organic cosmetics. This helps to find out where marketing or communication efforts can be most effectively positioned in order to transfer the non-purchaser to the purchaser group.

2.2 Factors related to organic consumption

The present study adopted both the social identity theory and the theory of planned behaviour as a theoretical framework to gain more insights in the purchase behaviour of organic cosmetics among German customers.

2.3 Social Identity Theory

Developed by Tajfel and Turner in 1979, the social identity theory claims that an individuals behaviour is influenced by the expectations and behaviour of group members who are relevant to that certain behaviour (Fielding, Terry, Masser, &

Hogg, 2008). In other words, people intent to categorize themselves into social categories or groups (Tajfel & Turner, 1986; Stets & Burke, 2000). Social groups consist of individuals who hold a common social identification. Here, people compare each other by categorizing people who are similar to the self as in-group members while accentuating the similarities like shared attitudes, beliefs, values or style of speech or similar. In addition, differences are accentuated by putting people who differ from the self into a so-called out-group (Terry, Hogg, & White, 1999; Stets &

Burke, 2000). According to this viewpoint, social identities which are derived from group memberships, form an important part of someone’s self-concept (Fielding et al., 2008). Social identities are related to different roles occupied by every individual in social settings (Carfora, Caso, & Connor, 2016). Self-identity refers to the extent to which an individual “sees him- or herself as fulfilling the criteria for any societal role;

for example, ‘someone who is concerned with green issues’” (Sparks & Sheperd, 1992, p. 392). According to Ozcaglar-toulouse, Shiu, and Shaw (2006), the

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identity, then people are likely to adjust their behavioural intentions accordingly. This is in accordance with Callero (1985, p. 205) who stated, “role identities, by definition, imply action”. Charng, Piliavin, & Callero (1988) found out during their research on donating blood that peoples intention to give blood was higher when donating blood was an important part of their self-identity. Sparks and Sheperd (1992) supported these findings with research on consuming organically grown vegetables. Therefore, it can be assumed that in the context of purchasing organic cosmetics, a person’s identity as a green consumer plays an important role.

A lot of research on the influence of a person’s self-identity on behaviour is combined with the variables of the theory of planned behaviour (cf. Kim & Chung, 2011; Kim

& Seock, 2009). In fact, researchers often use self-identity as an additional factor to extend the theory of planned behaviour (cf. Sparks & Sheperd, 1992; Terry et al., 1999). However, it was ascertained that self-identity can significantly predict the intention to perform a behaviour independent of other variables of the theory of planned behaviour (cf. Sparks et al., 1997; Brouwer & Mosack, 2015). Therefore, the current research will use the variables health self-identity and environmental self- identity as first factors in the model, proposing that self-identity will make an independent contribution to the prediction of the intention to purchase or to continue purchasing organic cosmetics.

2.3.1 Health- and environmental self-identity

When an issue becomes central to an individual’s self-identity, then behavioural intention is accordingly adjusted (Shaw, Shiu, & Clarke, 2000). Kim and Seock (2009) stated for instance that being environmental conscious could become part of someone’s identity, influencing their consumption on a daily basis. In the context of the present study, consumers may decide to purchase organic cosmetics because health- and environmental concerns have become an important part of their self- identity. Here, health self-identity refers to a person being conscious about its own personal health. According to Kim & Chung (2011), consumers which identify themselves as health conscious put effort into maintaining a healthy life. In the context of cosmetic products, they might look out for ingredients that can be harmful to their skin and body. Then, environmental self-identity refers to a person who is concerned about the state of the environment and as a result constantly looking for

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ways to reduce his or hers negative impact on the environment (Kim & Chung, 2011;

Recker & Saleem, 2014).

Shaw et al. (2000) ascertained, that individuals are likely to make ethical consumption choices, if ethical issues are an important part of someone’s self-identity. Several studies on green consumption figured out that the factors health- and environmental consciousness could play an important role in motivating green consumerism (cf. Kim

& Chung, 2011; Magnussen, 2003). With regard to organic food, it is perceived to be better for one’s health as it contains no food additives, preservatives and residues.

With regard to organic cosmetics, a few studies found that this motivation applies as well (cf. Kim & Chung, 2011, Kleine Stüwe & Strauß, 2016). However, these studies focused on the influence of being health- and environmental conscious on the attitude towards organic cosmetics. In contrast, the present study proposes that this consciousness is part of someone’s self-identity and therefore, directly influences the intention to purchase or to continue purchasing organic cosmetics. As stated above, this is in line with Brouwer and Mosack (2015) who ascertained that identification as a healthy eater significantly predicted healthy eating behaviour. Additionally, Åstrom and Rise (2001) suggested that self-identity as a healthy consumer directly influences the formation of intentions to become a healthy eater independent of attitudes.

Therefore, the following hypotheses are stated:

H1a: Health self-identity positively influences the intention to continue purchasing organic cosmetics.

H1b: Health self-identity positively influences the intention to purchase organic cosmetics.

H1c: Environmental self-identity positively influences the intention to continue purchasing organic cosmetics.

H1d: Environmental self-identity positively influences the intention to purchase organic cosmetics.

Because the behavioural aspect is a major interest of this thesis, the theory of planned behaviour is used as an additional theoretical framework. It allows taking a closer look at the factors influencing the intention to purchase organic cosmetics next to self-

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2.4 Theory of planned Behaviour

The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) is a well-studied theory within the social psychological research area and is often used as a framework for understanding and predicting human behaviour (cf. Tarkiainen & Sundqvist, 2005; Kim & Chung, 2011).

The theory states that intention can work as a direct antecedent of human behaviour, meaning that an individuals intention to engage a certain behaviour is a determinant of the actual performance of that behaviour (Fielding et al., 2008). Behavioural intentions are in turn guided by three situation-specific beliefs. First, behavioural beliefs lead to an overall negative or positive evaluation of the behaviour. This evaluation then results in a favourable or unfavourable attitude towards the behaviour (Bamberg, 2003; Fielding et al., 2008). Second, normative beliefs refer to the normative expectations of important others, which result in perceived social pressure or the subjective norm to perform a certain behaviour (Bamberg, 2003). Third, control beliefs reflect potential factors that may hinder the performance of the behaviour. This results in individuals perceived ease or difficulty to perform that behaviour also known as perceived behavioural control (Bamberg, 2003).

The TPB has been previously used in research about green consumer behaviour (cf.

Bamberg 2003; Kim & Chung, 2011; Ong, 2012) and will therefore function in the present study as a foundation to explain the antecedents of consumers intention to buy organic cosmetics.

2.4.1 Attitude towards organic cosmetics

Attitude towards behaviour refers to “a learned disposition to respond to an objective in a consistently favourable or unfavourable manner” (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975, p.

336). Attitudes are formed through behavioural beliefs, which can be translated into beliefs concerning the expected outcomes of a behaviour. A positive attitude refers to the belief that the outcome of performing the behaviour is positive, a negative attitude to the belief that the outcomes will be negative. This means that attitudes are evaluative responses towards an object or behaviour that are based on information a person has about this behaviour (Fennis & Stroebe, 2016). According to many researchers, attitudes are formed through three different processes, called cognitive, affective and behavioural processes. The cognitive component refers to individual responses that reflect an individual’s knowledge about an attitude object or the ability to form associations between an attitude object and certain attributes (Eagly &

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Chaiken, 2007; Ajzen, 1989, p. 243). The affective component involves feelings and emotions an individual has towards an attitude object. Therefore, an individual will respond with certain emotions when being exposed to a certain attitudinal object. The behavioural component refers to an individuals expression of behavioural intentions.

This includes for example the verbal expression of intending to perform a certain behaviour. (Ajzen, 1989, p. 244). However, these three processes cannot always be separated easily and also attitudes do not necessarily need to be formed through all three components (Eagle & Chaiken, 2007). According to Eagle and Chaiken (2007), attitudes can be formed or expressed trough any of the three components or based on a mix of these three processes. Furthermore, the present study uses the three different components as part of the attitude variable and as parts of the antecedents influencing attitudes. The general attitude variable will measure the affective component. Affect is a necessity of forming an attitude and often seen as the core of an attitude (Eagle &

Chaiken, 2007). The cognitive component will be seen as part of the subjective knowledge variable and the behavioural component will be seen as antecedent of the variable past behaviour.

In past research, attitudes found to be powerful predictors of purchase decisions because people tend to buy products, which they consider as useful and attractive (Fennis & Stroebe, 2016). Therefore, people tend to be more likely to perform a certain behaviour if they have positive attitudes towards it (Ajzen, 1985). With regard to organic cosmetics, Kleine Stüve and Strauß (2016) ascertained attitude to be a significant predictor of the intention to purchase organic hair products. This is in line with other research on organic personal care products; all supporting that attitude significantly predicts a certain amount of the variance in consumers’ purchase intention (cf. Kim & Chung, 2011; Recker & Saleem, 2014). Additionally, Gracia and de Magistris (2007) proposed that especially environmental- and health- related attitudes are important in the case of organic consumption behaviour, which are incorporated in this attitude variable. In line with previous research, the following hypotheses are proposed:

H2a: Attitude towards organic cosmetics positively influences the intention to continue buying organic cosmetic for the organic cosmetic buyers.

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H2b: Attitude towards organic cosmetics positively influences the intention to purchase organic cosmetic for the non-buyers.

2.4.2 Subjective Norm

According to the TPB, subjective norm refers to the perceived social pressure of an individual to perform or to not perform a specific behaviour (Ajzen, 1985). As with attitudes, this pressure is evoked through salient beliefs, which represent the perception someone has about whether significant others think one should or should not perform a behaviour and the individuals motivation to comply with these expectations (Ajzen, 1985; Connor & Armitage, 1998). Several studies found a strong relationship between subjective norm and green consumerism (cf. Bamberg, 2003;

Tarkainen & Sundqvist, 2005; Kim & Chung, 2011). The research conducted by Kim and Chung (2011) is especially relevant in the context of the present study, because they figured out that subjective norm was a statistically significant predictor for the purchase intention of organic personal care products. Based on that, the third hypotheses read as follows:

H3a: Subjective Norm positively influences the intention to continue purchasing organic cosmetics of organic cosmetic buyers.

H3b: Subjective Norm positively influences the intention to start purchasing organic cosmetics for the non-buyers.

2.4.3 Perceived behavioural control

Perceived behavioural control is another variable of the TPB to predict purchase behaviour and purchase intention and is, by some researchers, suggested to be the most influential factor (Armitage & Talibudeen, 2010). The variable refers to so- called control beliefs about whether an individual actually has access to all necessary resources needed to perform the behaviour. If someone beliefs, he/she has the resources to engage in a behaviour it is likely to have a high degree of PBC which then positively influences the intention to engage in that behaviour (Ajzen, 1991;

Connor & Armitage, 1998). In the case of organic cosmetics, it is likely that PBC influences consumers purchase intention. Several resources such as price, time, money, and availability can influence consumers perception of control towards purchasing organic cosmetics (Kim & Chung, 2011). Johnstone and Tan (2015) for instance did research on general organic consumerism and discovered that people

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often mention price as a factor beyond their control. This means that products which are more expensive than other products in a specific category are not considered due to lack of money: „Well if you're struggling to pay the bills you're not going to worry about it [buying green products]" (Johnstone & Tan, 2015, p. 317). In addition, Kleine Stüwe and Strauß (2016) suggested that, in the case of organic hair care, availability also might be a factor influencing consumers perceived behavioral control to purchase organic hair care. For instance, consumers might think that purchasing natural cosmetics is too difficult because it is not available at a local store nearby (Rybowska, 2014). Derived from this, the fourth hypotheses will be:

H4a: Perceived behavioural control positively influences the intention to continue purchasing organic cosmetics.

H4b: Perceived behavioural control positively influences the intention to start purchasing organic cosmetics.

2.5 Antecedents of attitude

Next to the constructs of the social identity theory and the theory of planned behaviour, previous research revealed that there are a few other variables that should be taken into account when analysing consumers purchase patterns. In conjunction with the goal to get a full picture on factors that influence the organic cosmetic consumer, two additional variables that are not part of a specific theory will be added:

Subjective knowledge about benefits of organic cosmetics and consumers attitude towards brand communication of organic cosmetics

2.5.1 Subjective knowledge about benefits of organic cosmetic

In general, subjective knowledge refers to self-perceived knowledge about an issue, which means what an individual perceives that he/she knows (Aertsens, Mondelaers, Verbeke, Buysse, & van Huylenbroek, 2011). It therefore incorporates one’s confidence in his/hers own knowledge (Brucks, 1985). According to the literature, subjective knowledge is an important factor in the field of consumer behaviour that can influence attitude and both the intention to purchase and actual purchase behaviour (Brucks, 1985; House, Lusk, Traill, Moore, Morrow, & Yee, 2004; Gracia

& de Magistris, 2007). As reported by Recker and Saleem (2014), knowledge was especially used in previous research on pro-environmental and health related

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instrument that consumers have to differentiate organic products from conventional ones. Therefore, it is an instrument that helps consumers to form an (positive) attitude toward organic products (Gracia & de Magistris, 2007). In the past, several studies examined, for instance, the influence of environmental knowledge on environmental attitude and found significant relationships (cf. Recker & Saleem, 2014; Ramsey &

Rickson, 1976). Since organic cosmetics do not only offer environmental benefits but also some serious health benefits, subjective knowledge about health-related benefits will be incorporated as well. With regard to health-related knowledge, Byrd- Bredbenner and O’Connel (1984) found that education on nutrition positively influences food- and nutrition attitude of students.

Therefore it is expected that subjective knowledge positively influences consumers attitude to continue purchasing organic cosmetics and to start purchasing organic cosmetics. Accordingly, the following hypotheses are formulated:

H5a: Consumers subjective knowledge about the benefits of organic cosmetics positively influences the attitude towards organic cosmetics of organic cosmetic purchaser.

H5b: Subjective knowledge about organic cosmetic benefits positively influences the attitude towards organic cosmetics of non-purchaser.

2.5.2 Attitude towards brand communication on benefits of organic cosmetic

In the cosmetic industry, consumers are almost ‘marketed to death’ to buy every kind of product imaginable. This means, brands in the cosmetic industry often try to manipulate the publics understanding by using false claims in order to simply sell the products (Rosebrook, 2016). Using false claims is also a recognized problem in the organic cosmetics sector, so-called “green-washing” and the extensive use of natural and organic claims of cosmetic brands decreased the consumers trust (Nyilasy, Gangadharbatla, & Paladino, 2013). Here, the communication of truly organic certified cosmetic brands gets important in order to educate the consumer. The information provided by the brand on the benefits of organic cosmetics is essential for knowledge transfer and the expansion of knowledge among (potential) consumers of organic cosmetics (Dimitrova et al., 2009). Also, when consumers are satisfied with

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the amount of information they are retrieving, the relationship with the brand gets stronger (source).

Though as stated in the above-mentioned paragraph, literature revealed that consumers seem to lack actual knowledge about what organic truly means, what ingredients in conventional cosmetics are potentially harmful and why, and how organic cosmetics can compete here (cf. Cervellon et. al., 2011; Johnstone & Tan, 2015). This indicates that brands may not sufficiently inform consumers about the benefits that come along with using organic cosmetics. Hence, it is necessary to find out to what extent consumers are satisfied with the communication of the benefits of organic cosmetic products. Feedback from the target group can give insights into how making marketing efforts more effective since marketing tools are usually used by brands to transfer knowledge. Based on the reviewed literature, the following hypotheses are proposed:

H6a: Attitude towards brand communication positively influences organic cosmetic purchasers attitude towards organic cosmetics.

H6b: Attitude towards brand communication positively influences non-purchasers attitude towards organic cosmetics.

2.6 Conceptual research model

Based on the reviewed literature and proposed hypotheses, the following research model has been developed:

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Figure 1. Conceptual research model.

3. Research Methodology

In the following chapter the research design will be explained in detail. In this context, further insight into the research design, the chosen participants, the measurements, the procedure of data gathering and the analysis will be given.

3.1 Research Design

The research method of choice in this study is quantitative in nature to test the proposed hypotheses in order to get insights into the factors influencing the purchase intention of organic cosmetics.

An online survey was chosen due to several benefits. First of all, using a quantitative research approach enables a researcher to test hypotheses and to determine casual relationships and effects between the different constructs considered in this research (Saunders, Lewis, & Tornhill, 2009, p. 367; Recker & Saleem, 2014). In the context of this research allows a quantitative approach to detect relationships between the independent variables (attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control etc.) and the dependent variable (purchase intention).

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Second, using an online questionnaire enables a researcher to gather self-reported subjective views of respondents. Moreover, online surveys can reduce the chance of social desirability bias due to the absence of both other respondents and the research conductor. This means that people who fill in a survey online are less likely to answer a question in order to please the research conductor or because they believe a certain answer is more socially desirable than another (Saunders et al., 2009, p. 363).

Third, choosing an online survey as a research method enables to reach a broad target audience which is geographically distributed within Germany. This is a benefit in the present study because the Internet allows contacting people that are not in the personal network of the research conductor and people who do not live in the close surrounding of the research conductor.

Finally, online questionnaires are convenient for the target group. Participants can comfortably complete the questionnaire from home or from work at any time frame given (Bryman & Bell, 2008, p. 242).

3.4 Procedure

After the first version of the survey was set up, a pre-test took place in order to test the surveys comprehensibility, to look out for eventual grammar- and spelling mistakes and to gather an overall feedback concerning the survey. In total, five people participated in the pre-test, which lead to several small adjustments in order to increase the comprehensiveness. No major changes concerning the different variables and items were made based on the pre-test. Afterwards, the survey was uploaded via the online tool Qualtrics and spread via social media, e-mail and the online platform poll-pool, which allowed the researcher to approach people within the target group without using the personal network to achieve random sampling. In addition, the snowball technique was used allowing people who already participated in the survey to spread the survey link as well to help gather participants.

The final questionnaire consisted of three parts. First, all participants got an informed consent to read, informing the participants’ about the purpose of the study and most importantly their legal rights. This included inform that participation is voluntarily and that every participant was allowed to quit the survey at any given moment if it brought any discomfort. Besides, it was emphasized that all collected data is kept in confidence and processed anonymously.

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By clicking on the ‘weiter’ button, participants agreed with the above-mentioned conditions of the research and got directed to the actual survey. Here, participants were asked about their past consumption patterns concerning organic cosmetic. Based on that, participants were split into two groups for further analysis, organic cosmetic purchaser and non-purchaser. This resulted in 120 purchasers and 136 non- purchasers. Then all participants had to give their opinion about several items on a five-point Likert scale (see Appendix B). Next, a couple of demographical questions were asked. This included age, gender and highest education achieved. Finally, each participant was thanked for his or her participation and the e-mail address of the researcher was mentioned in case of concerns or questions.

3.2 Research participants

German citizens above the age of 18 were chosen as a target audience. This age restriction was chosen in order to avoid any conflict with the German law. Underaged people should not be asked to take part in any research without an informed consent given by a legal representative. The nature of the measurement instrument made this very difficult and therefore the age restriction was chosen. Apart from that, the only other necessity for participants was to be a German citizen. This was chosen partly because of convenience, as the researcher is German and partly because the German organic beauty industry market is growing rapidly. However, until now, little research about organic consumption in Germany focused on the niche of organic cosmetics.

A total of 319 people participated in the current study. Though only 256 respondents were used for further analysis. Hence, 63 people (19,53%) of the total number were excluded from the analysis because they did not meet the criteria of being above the age of 18 (N=2,) or because they dropped out of the survey before completing it (N=

61). The mean age of organic cosmetic purchasers is 35, with way more female than male participants (N=98, 81.7% N=22, 18.3% respectively). The educational level is high with 50% (N=60) of the participants having a university degree (Bachelor or higher) and only 5.8% (N=7) not having finished high school. In the group of non- purchasers, the majority of the participants are female as well (N=87, 64%) but slightly younger with a mean of 31 years compared to group one. The level of education obtained by group 2 is also slightly lower compared to group one but still quite high with 48.6% (N=66) holding a university degree and only 6.6% (N=9)

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without a high school degree. The complete demographics of both groups can be found in table 1.

Table 1

Demographical Data final Dataset Group One: Organic cosmetic purchaser Group Two: Non-purchaser

Mean SD N Valid %

Age 34.7

31.5 13.36 13.53 Gender

male female

22 49 98 87

18.3 36.0 81.7 64.0 Education

Secondary school (class 9) Secondary school (class 10) Vocational secondary school Academic secondary school Apprenticeship Bachelor Master Magister/Diploma

Total N

Group 1 Group 2

0 2 7 7 6 10 19 32 28 19 33 40 16 10 11 16

120 136

0 1.5 5.8 5.1 5.0 7.4 15.8 23.5 23.3 14.0 27.5 29.4 13.3 7.4 9.2 11.8

100 100

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3.3 Measures

The online questionnaire consists out of mandatory closed ended questions. This is chosen due to several benefits, which outweigh disadvantages such as missing out responses that were not considered by the researcher in the predetermined answers (Bryman & Bell, 2008).

All items will be answered using a five-point Likert Scale featuring scale labels such as the agreement-scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree.

As shown in the research model, different constructs need to be measured in order to answer the research question. Each construct consists out of different items, which were partly derived from past scientific research and partly developed by the research conductor self. According to Bryman and Bell (2008) is it beneficial to adapt scales from previous studies because their measurement qualities have already been proven which can enhance the validity and reliability of the present study. Both validity and reliability are important to measure because they indicate the quality of the research instrument. Therefore a reliability analysis (Cronbach’s α) and a factor analysis (F) were conducted.

The questionnaire starts with a section that consists out of several demographic variables such as Age and Gender. This is important for the researcher to get a picture of the research sample and to check whether the sample is representing the population. The remaining questionnaire includes questions about each construct representing the conceptual model, which will be explained further in the following part.

Health self-identity

The construct health self-identity was measured through three items, which were obtained by Sparks and Shepard (1992), including I see myself as a person who is concerned about it’s health. The reliability of this construct was high with a Cronbach’s alpha of .88. All items were measured on a 5-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating greater values of self-identity as a health concerned person.

All items loaded on one Factor with F> .75 indicating construct validity.

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Environmental self-identity

As with health self-identity, environmental self-identity was measured with three items that were obtained by Sparks and Shepard (1992), including I see myself as someone who is concerned with “green issues”. The reliability of this construct was good with a Cronbach’s alpha of .84. The construct also appeared to be valid with all items loading the same factor with F > .69,

Attitude towards organic cosmetic products

To measure the general attitude towards organic cosmetics six items were used like “I am favourable towards organic cosmetics”. Each item was rated on a 5-point Likert scale where higher scores refer to a more positive attitude towards organic cosmetics.

The items were partly adapted from Magnussen et al. (2001) and Kleine Stüve and Strauß (2016). With a Cronbach’s alpha score of α = .89, the construct was proven to be highly reliable. In addition, CFA showed that all items and solely the intended items for the attitude construct load on the same factor with F > .07 which guarantees construct validity.

Subjective Norm

The construct subjective norm was measured using five items that were inspired by items developed by Ajzen (2002) and Kim and Chung (2011). Participants had to agree or disagree on statements such as “My friends and family think that I should purchase organic cosmetics instead of conventional cosmetics.” The higher people scored on these variable the higher their level of being influenced by significant others. Reliability and validity of this construct was high with α = .90 and F > .07.

Perceived Behavioural Control

Four items measured the construct perceived behavioural control such as “I can afford to buy organic cosmetics”. Items were adapted and modified for the current research from Ajzen (2002) and Ajzen (2013). In general, higher scores on these items indicated greater perceived control to actually buy organic cosmetics. Cronbach’s alpha of this construct was .96 and therefore proven to be highly reliable. Content validity was high as well with all items loading on the same factor with F > .7.

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Subjective knowledge about benefits of organic cosmetics

Six items measured participant’s subjective knowledge about health- and environmental related benefits of organic cosmetics such as “I am not familiar with the health benefits of organic cosmetics.” The items for this construct were partly adapted and modified from Dodd, Laverie, Wilcox and Dunhan (2005) and Aertsens et al. (2011) and had a high reliability with α= .91. Content validity was good as well with all items loading on the same factor (F > .06). In general, high scores on this scale indicate greater self-perceived knowledge about the benefits of organic cosmetics.

Attitude towards brand communication about benefits of organic cosmetics Six items covering both the attitude towards brand communication about environmental and health related benefits of organic cosmetics were used, like

“Overall, I am satisfied with the amount of information about harmful ingredients promoted by organic cosmetic brands.” All items were self-developed by the research conductor for the purpose of this study. Cronbach’s alpha of this construct was proven to be reliable with α = .89 as well as content validity (F >. 07). The higher the scores on the 5-point Likert scale the more positive the attitude towards brand communication.

Intention to purchase organic cosmetics

Finally, four items including “I am planning to regularly purchase organic cosmetics in the near future.” were used to measure participants intention to continue purchasing organic cosmetics or to start purchasing organic cosmetics. The items derived and modified from existing scales used by Ajzen (2002) and Kim and Chung (2011). Reliability of this construct was high (α= .96) and content validity was given (F >.06).

An overview of all items used for each construct including the Cronbach’s alpha and factor scores from a factor analysis can be found in table 2.

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Table 2

Items per construct

Constructs Cronbach’s α & Factor analysis Source

Attitude towards organic cosmetics α= .89 Modified from

Magnusson et al.

(2004),

Ajzen (2006) and Kleine Stüve and Strauß (2016) 1. I am favourable towards organic cosmetics. Factor 1 = .77

2. I consider organic cosmetic as good. Factor 1 = .75 3. I regard organic cosmetic as valuable. Factor 1 = .71 4. I do not consider organic cosmetic as

important.

Factor 1 = .73 5. I believe that organic cosmetics can be good

for my skin.

Factor 1 = .70 6. I believe that organic cosmetics are less

harmful to the environment than conventional cosmetics.

Factor 1 = .74

Subjective Norm α= .90 Modified from

Ajzen (2002) and Kim and Chung (2011) My friends and family would rather buy organic

cosmetic than conventional cosmetics.

Factor 3 = .81 People whose opinion I value would want me to

purchase organic cosmetics.

Factor 3 = .79 My family and friends think that I should

purchase organic cosmetics instead of conventional cosmetic.

Factor 3 = .77

People in my surrounding purchase organic cosmetics instead of conventional cosmetics.

Factor 3 = .74 My friends and family would approve

purchasing organic cosmetics.

Factor 3 = .75

Perceived behavioural control α= .96 Modified from

Ajzen (2013) and Ajzen (2002)

I can buy organic cosmetics whenever I want to.

Factor 5 = .85 I can buy organic cosmetics wherever I want to. Factor 5 = .83 Organic cosmetics are available in shops near

my neighbourhood.

Factor 5 = .79 I am confident that I am able to purchase

organic cosmetics If I would want to.

Health self-identity α= .84

Sparks and Shepherd (1992)

I think as myself as a person who reflects a lot about their health.

Factor 7 = .84 I see myself as a person who is concerned about

their health.

Factor 7 = .79 I see myself as a person who is constantly

looking for ways to improve their health.

Factor 7 = .78

Environmental self-identity α= .88 Sparks and Shepherd

(1992)

I think of myself as an environmental friendly consumer.

Factor 8 = .75 I am a person who cares about the state of the

environment.

Factor 8 = .72 I think of myself as someone who is concerned

with “green issues”.

Factor 8 = .69

Attitude towards brand communication about α= .89 Items self-developed

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information about the health benefits on the package/the product.

Overall, I am satisfied with the amount of information about environmental benefits promoted by organic cosmetic brands.

Factor 4 = .84

Organic cosmetic brands inform to what extent organic cosmetics avoid ingredients that harm the environment.

Factor 4 = .81

Organic cosmetics contain sufficient

information about why organic cosmetics are harmless to our waters.

Factor 4 = .77

Brands that sell organic cosmetics,

communicate the benefits for an individuals’

health.

Factor 4 = .77

Overall, I am satisfied with the amount of information about harmful ingredients promoted by organic cosmetic brands.

Factor 4 = .76

Self-perceived subjective knowledge about

benefits of organic cosmetics α= .91 Items partly adapted

and modified from Aertsens et al. (2011) and Dodd et al. (2005)

I know a lot about the health benefits of organic cosmetics.

Factor 2 = .74 I am knowledgeable on how ingredients in

conventional cosmetics can harm my health.

Factor 2 = .77 My knowledge about the health benefits of

organic cosmetics is better compared to other people in Germany.

Factor 2 = .71

My knowledge about the ecological benefits of organic cosmetics is better compared to other people in Germany.

Factor 2 = .73

I am knowledgeable about how organic cosmetic is better for the environment compared to conventional cosmetics.

Factor 2 = .69

I am aware about how my consumption of organic cosmetics can affect the environment.

Factor 2 = .63

Purchase Intention α= .96 Modified from

Ajzen (2002) and Kim and Chung (2011) I am planning to regularly purchase organic

cosmetics in the near future.

Factor 6 = .72 The next time I purchase cosmetics, it is likely

that I will choose organic cosmetics.

Factor 6 = .71 I have the intention to purchase organic

cosmetics in the next weeks.

Factor 6 = .68 It is likely that I will continue purchasing

organic cosmetics.

Factor 6 = .67

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4. Results

In the following chapter, the results of the research study will be described in detail.

Therefore, the statistical results for all different tests conducted will be presented for both groups of participants (purchaser and non-purchasers) separately.

4.1 Descriptive statistics

First, the mean scores and standard deviation scores of each construct will be examined. Moreover, a one-sample t-test was performed to find out whether a variable can be interpreted as significantly negative or significantly positive using 3 as a test value.

For the group of organic cosmetic purchaser, the variables health self-identity, environmental self-identity, attitude, subjective norm, subjective knowledge, perceived behavioural control and purchase intention are all significant positive.

Attitude towards organic cosmetics shows the highest mean score with M= 4.45, SD=

.58. Hence, the variable is statistically significant positive with t(119)= 27.27, p< .01, showing that people who already purchase organic cosmetics have a very positive attitude towards organic cosmetics. Only attitude towards brand communication has a mean score of M= 2.84, SD= .85. Furthermore, the mean score is significantly lower than the test value with t(119) = -2.05, p < .05. Meaning, organic cosmetic purchaser do not show a positive attitude towards the perceived brand communication about the benefits of organic cosmetics.

For the group of non-purchasers, results are a little different. Here, subjective norm, attitude towards brand communication, subjective knowledge and purchase intention are significantly negative. For instance, subjective norm has the highest negative score with M= 2.43, SD= .81, t(135)= -8.21, p< .01. This indicates that the non- purchaser group does not feel social pressure when thinking about purchasing organic cosmetics. On the contrary, the variables health self-identity, environmental self- identity, attitude and perceived behavioural control all show significant positive mean scores as well. However, they are all lower compared to the significant positive variables from the purchaser group.

A detailed overview for all descriptive statistics and analysis can be found in Table 3.

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Table 3

One-Sample Statistics

Group One: Organic cosmetic purchaser Group Two: Non-purchaser

N Mean SD

Constructs 120

136

Health self-identity 4.16

3.49

.81 .88 Environmental self-

identity

4.18 3.26

.77 .88

Attitude 4.45

3.56

.58 .80 Subjective Norm

Perceived behavioural control

3.24 2.43 4.00 3.41

.84 .81 .81 .87

Attitude towards brand communication

2.84 2.70

.85 .84

Subjective knowledge 3.74

2.56 .78

.85

Purchase intention 4.02

2.41

.81 .92 Note. Measurement scale: 5-point Likert scale, test value= 3.

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One-Sample t-test

N t df sig. (2-tailed)

Constructs 120

136

Health self-identity 15.58

6.92 119

135 .00**

.00**

Environmental

self-identity 16.90

3.46 119

135 .00**

.00**

Attitude 27.27

8.82

119 135

.00**

Subjective Norm

Perceived

behavioural control

3.09 -8.21 13.94 5.51

119 135 119 135

.00**

Attitude towards brand

communication

-2.05

-4.22 119

135 .04*

.00**

Subjective

knowledge 10.39

-6.04 119

135 .00**

.00**

Purchase Intention 13.80

-7.45 119

135 .00**

.00**

Note. Measurement scale: 5-point Likert scale, test value= 3.

4.2 Correlation analysis

In order to see whether linear relationships between the different variables exist a correlation analysis was carried out. Besides, the correlation coefficient can give insights into the strength and direction of these relationships. All results of the correlation analysis can be found in table 4 and 5.

For the group of organic cosmetic purchaser, all independent variables except attitude towards brand communication show a significant positive relationship with the dependent variable purchase intention. Nevertheless, this non-existent relationship is not surprising as the research is only interested in the relationship between attitude

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purchase intention is the strongest with r= .72, n= 120, p< .01. Important for the model testing as well is the fact that subjective knowledge has a significant positive correlation with attitude with r= .54, n=120, p< .01. However, attitude towards brand communication shows no significant correlation with attitude at all. Fundamental, all independent variables except attitude towards brand communication correlate with each other on a significant level with p < .01.

Within the group of participants that did not purchase organic cosmetics, all predictors except perceived behavioural control and attitude towards brand communication showed a positive correlation with the dependent variable purchase intention. Here, the strongest correlation exists between subjective norm and purchase intention with r= .54, n=136, p< .01, followed by attitude and environmental self- identity, both having the same correlation coefficient score with r= .42, n= 136, p<

.01. Nonetheless, no correlation is above r= .7 indicating that the correlations are only weak to moderate (Burns & Burns, 2008). Similar to the results of the first group, subjective knowledge positively correlates with attitude (r= .28, n=136, p< .01) whilst attitude towards brand communication does not.

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Table 4

Correlation analysis for group one: organic cosmetic purchaser Attitude Subjective

Norm

Perceived beh.

control

Health self-identity

Environmental self-identity

Attitude brand communication

Subjective knowledge

Purchase Intention

1. Attitude 1

2. Subjective Norm .37** 1

3. Perceived

behavioural control

.43** .29** 1

4. Health self-identity .32** .29** .24** 1

5. Environmental self- identity

.54** .31** .33** .39** 1

6.Attitude towards

brand communication -.10 .04 .03 -.25** -.151 1

Notes. N=120, *p<. 05; **p< .01

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Table 5

Correlation analysis for group two: non-purchaser Attitude Subjective

Norm

Perceived beh. control

Health self-identity

Environmental self-identity

Attitude brand communication

Subjective knowledge

Purchase Intention

1. Attitude 1

2. Subjective Norm .32** 1

3. Perceived behavioural control

.22** .21* 1

4. Health self-identity .37** .27** .21* 1

5. Environmental self- identity

.40** .40** .11 .33** 1

6. Attitude towards

brand communication .14 .15 .09 -.00 .07 1

7. Subjective knowledge about benefits

.28** .43** .28** .30** .40** .18* 1

8. Purchase Intention .42** .54** .19 .27** .42** -.02 .39** 1

Notes. N=136, *p<. 05; **p< .01

Keeping it all natural : a research into the underlying factors influencing the intention to purchase and the intention to continue purchasing organic cosmetics among German consumers